Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy New Year

I love new beginnings! It is so nice to wrap up a year and begin anew. This year is no different. I am excited to start 2011 and discover all the next twelve months hold. A few special things about 2010:
  • Dh published his first book. It has been so fun to see him fulfill a dream and to see the book welcomed with enthusiasm by many whom we deeply respect.
  • Dh began work on his doctorate.
  • We started a new small group that has been a blessing to us.
  • Haddon started Kindergarten.
  • We had our first broken bone (Beckett).
  • We enjoyed a year of exceptional health with only a few colds here and there and are so very grateful.
And a few upcoming milestones in 2011:
  • This year my oldest will turn 10. Double digits. Oh my! It is hard to believe that tiny baby is now such a big, handsome, kind-hearted boy.
  • This year my youngest will begin Kindergarten, and we will have no more preschoolers in our home. Everyone can now feed, bathe, dress and toilet themselves. ;) I sleep through the night the majority of the time and we are enjoying the flexibility of not being tied to nap schedules. Still one more baby sure would be nice. :)
  • This year dh will turn 40.(And I am not far behind). Yikes!
  • This year we will wrap up our first four year cycle following the Classical Model. Thatcher will complete the Grammar Stage and will begin the Dialectic Stage.
  • Dh and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage.
And being such a task-oriented, box-checking kinda gal, I cannot help but set some goals for the new year. Here are a few of my goals for 2011:
  • Dh and I are planning two date nights out and two date nights in (kids to bed early and a movie on Netflix, a chess game, a Wii match or just time to talk) a month in 2011. We have had a hard time getting away in years past but this year we have committed to making time together alone even more of a priority.
  • Early to bed and early to rise. Ol' Ben had something! For me too often it's been late to bed and early to rise (makes a Mommy grouchy, impatient and caffeine-addicted). No more - or at least a lot less ;)
  • Memorize the book of Philippians.
  • Exercise more.
  • Read more (see booklist below)
  • Scrapbook more.
  • Laugh more.
  • Eat less.
And last, here is my booklist for 2011:

Education related books:
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Spiritual Books:
Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller
One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

Parenting Books:
The Home at Greylock by Elizabeth Prentiss
Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd & Margy Tripp
Raising Godly Tomatoes by L. Elizabeth Kreuger

Self-Education (Following Recommendations from The Well Educated Mind):
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Home Manager:
Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenrider

Marriage:
War of Words by Paul David Tripp (not a marriage book per se but communication is a weak link for me in our marriage. Dh is excellent at this and I want to be better.)

Happy new year to you all!


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3 comments:

Kellie said...

Congratulations to your husband on his first book! You and I have some of the same goals and even plan to read some of the same books this year. I finished Organized Simplicity last month and found it very helpful. Happy new year!

Julie said...

Love your post! Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

I'm always so thrilled when your posts pop up in my reader. :)

I am going to borrow some ideas from your 2011 reading list, especially War of Words. The title is totally new to me--I can't believe it was published 10 years ago. I might look into Tsh's book as well. I love her website.

I pre-ordered Ann Voskamp's book a couple of weeks ago and am eagerly anticipating its arrival!

Happy New Year!